PAPERS (as of 1/28/13)
PAPERS (1.1-1.5) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28
(1.1) SESSION ONE • 10:50-11:20 am
(1.1.1) Documenting kinship systems in eastern Indonesia
Gary Holton • [email protected] University of Alaska Fairbanks
This paper draws on recent field work to present a tentative typology of kinship systems in four endangered languages of the Alor-Pantar archipelago in eastern Indonesia. Some challenges for documentation of kinship systems in endangered languages are discussed, and some recommendations for field workers are suggested.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: kinship, knowledge, documentation
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(1.1.2) Sharing linguistic tools with native speakers through the Language Documentation Training Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Stephanie Locke • salocke@hawaii.edu University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Erenst Anip • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Established in 2004, the Language Documentation Training Center has been run entirely by graduate students in the Linguistics Department, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, to contribute to the worldwide effort to document endangered languages. This presentation will describe its history, growth, and potential as a model for community-based documentation efforts.
Topic area: Training in documentation methods – beyond the university; Community-based training center Keywords: community-based, documentation, revitalization, language center
KOI ROOM
(1.1.3) Documenting “middle-sized” languages: Pitfalls and potentials
Michelle Morrison • [email protected] University of Maryland
Much of the language documentation literature centers on languages with small populations. While important, this can lead to the neglect of little-described languages with larger populations. I argue that documentation of middle-sized languages is also important. I describe the challenges they pose for researchers and give strategies for their documentation.
Topic area: Documentation methodology Keywords: larger speech communities, African languages
ASIA ROOM
(1.1.4) The Coeur d’Alene Online Language Resource Center: A grassroots digital resource
Audra Vincent • [email protected] University of British Columbia/Coeur d'Alene Tribe Shannon Bischoff • [email protected] Indiana-University Purdue University Ivy Doak, University of N. Texas Denton Amy Fountain, University of Arizona John Ivens, University of Arizona
We present the Coeur d’Alene Online Language Resource Center, a comprehensive data resource for the Coeur d’Alene language community and scholars. The COLRC was created and is maintained by the collaborative efforts of community members, linguists, and computer engineers working to make Coeur d’Alene language resources widely available following TAPS.
Topic area: Online language resources Keywords: Coeur d'Alene, digital resources, revitalization, documentation
PACIFIC ROOM
(1.1.5) The development of the Desano orthography: Overcoming challenges
Wilson Silva • [email protected] University of Rochester
The process of developing an orthography for Desano described here employs a methodology that empowers native speakers to participate actively in the decision-making process. This methodology has proven to be successful despite the challenges faced during the orthography development process.
Topic area: Orthography design; Language conservation Keywords: orthography, documentation, conservation
SARIMANOK ROOM
(1.1.6) Learning from Serrano documentation: A century of best and not-so-best practices
Joseph Henderer • [email protected] San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians Marcus Smith • [email protected] San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians Ernest Siva Morongo Band of Mission Indians
This paper assesses work on Serrano over the past century by community members, linguists, other academics, and amateurs. We consider the strengths and weaknesses of these efforts, with an eye towards the practical consequences for language revitalization. We stress the value of working with the community in understanding older resources.
Topic area: Assessing success in documentation and revitalization strategies Keywords: revitalization, documentation, methodology, resources
KANIELA ROOM
(1.2) SESSION TWO • 11:30 am-12:00 pm
(1.2.1) Kinship and language documentation in Bhutan
Karma Tshering • [email protected] Australian National University
The first detailed study of Dzongkha (Tibeto-Burman, Bhutan) kinship reveals a fascinating world of social organization. Unlike in Tibetan (Dzongkha’s sister language of Tibet), Dzongkha kinship terminology shows a plethora of words used to denote relationships to females, suggesting women have played a larger role in shaping Bhutan’s social history.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: Bhutan, Dzongkha, kinship
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(1.2.2) Documenting refugee languages in the diaspora: The Boise Language Project
Michal Temkin Martinez • [email protected] Boise State University
This paper describes the Boise Language Project—a multimodal project merging teaching, research, and outreach to the local refugee community. In this talk, I will discuss various issues encountered while recruiting participants, as well as share some success stories from the program.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: refugee, diaspora, documentation, collaboration
KOI ROOM
(1.2.3) Domain‐driven documentation: The case of landscape NSF-sponsored talk
Niclas Burenhult • [email protected] Lund University and Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
I will present compelling linguistic reasons why landscape is a field worthy of in‐depth exploration, and why it provides an effective and high‐gain approach to language documentation. I will illustrate with examples from several endangered languages and also discuss GIS applications for data collection, analysis, and archiving.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge
ASIA ROOM
(1.2.4) Software tools for integrated development of the corpus, the lexicon, and community materials
Alexander Nakhimovsky • [email protected] Colgate University, USA Tom Myers • [email protected] N-Topus Software
We present an integrated workflow for corpus and lexicon development, based on a software bridge between ELAN and FLEx, resulting in two-way links between corpus and lexicon. We also present software that uses the same body of data to create materials for local community. Supported by NSF grants 1065619, 0553546.
Topic area: Technology in documentation—methods and pitfalls Keywords: software, FLEx, ELAN, interoperability
PACIFIC ROOM
(1.2.5) Documenting the revival of Kulitan, the indigenous Kapampangan script
Michael Raymon Pangilinan • [email protected] Aguman Sulat Kapampangan
Kulitan, the indigenous Kapampangan script, has always been marginalized in favor of the Latin script. It had almost completely disappeared after World War II until it was revived once again in 1989. This paper aims to present a timeline documentation of its vitality from 1989 up to the present.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: Kapampangan script heritage revival
SARIMANOK ROOM
(1.2.6) Towards the empowerment model: A case study of Blackfoot documentation and revitalization
Mizuki Miyashita • [email protected] University of Montana Rebecca Yares • [email protected] University of Montana Jackelyn Van Buren • [email protected] Scott Schupbach • [email protected] University of Montana Annabelle Chatsis • [email protected] University of Montana Megan Lunak • [email protected] Cuts Wood School, Piegan Institute
Recent documentation trends emphasize the empowerment model highlighting the importance of collaboration. Our project presents an example of a collaborative revitalization project between linguists and the Blackfeet speech community members in Montana. We describe the mutually beneficial creation process of an original short animated story in Blackfoot and its outcomes.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: Blackfoot, teaching, animation, collaboration
KANIELA ROOM (1.3) SESSION THREE • 1:00-1:30 pm
(1.3.1) The Catalogue of Endangered Languages in context
Raina Heaton • [email protected] The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Eve Okura • [email protected] The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
This paper explains how the Catalogue of Endangered Language was developed, its relationship to the Endangered Languages Project website, what these two offer, a brief report of what has been achieved so far, and goals and procedures for phase 2 of the project.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: data, website, technology, collaboration
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(1.3.2) Benefits and lessons from the collaboration between linguists and biologists in a language documentation project (Ixcatec, Mexico)
Michael Swanton • [email protected] Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Denis Costaouec • [email protected] Université Paris Descartes Selene Rangel Landa UNAM Campus Morelia
For a year and a half, a team of linguists and biologists has collaborated in the documentation of the endangered Ixcatec language. This talk will present how this collaboration has been mutually enriching, how the different metadata sets have been bridged, and the importance of monolingual Spanish speakers in this process.
Topic area: Interdisciplinary nature of language documentation Keywords: ethnobiology, data management, Ixcatec
KOI ROOM
(1.3.3) Why documenting different languages necessitates different data
Bradley McDonnell • [email protected] University of California, Santa Barbara
While Besemah Malay is structurally “underspecified,” it is sociolinguistically complex, making grammatical elicitation not as essential on the one hand and difficult to collect on the other. Drawing on the documentation of Besemah, I illustrate how documentation projects need to calibrate data collection to accommodate the individual differences of languages. Topic area: Data collection methodology Keywords: grammatical analysis, data collection, Austronesian, field methods
ASIA ROOM
(1.3.4) SayMore: Language documentation productivity
John Hatton • [email protected] SIL International
This paper describes the SayMore software application. SayMore eases the collecting, annotating, and converting of recording session artifacts. The user can monitor progress towards project goals along several axes and prepare materials for digital archiving and sharing with the language community.
Topic area: Technology in documentation—methods and pitfalls Keywords: software, transcription, metadata
PACIFIC ROOM
(1.3.5) Comparing Mixean orthographies: Is there hope for a unified writing system?
Carmen Jany • [email protected] California State University, San Bernardino
This paper compares eight existing orthographies for the hundreds of Mixean varieties spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico and discusses the challenges of orthography design in the region. It shows that the implementation of a unified spelling system has largely failed and that established spelling conventions diverge, often highlighting dialectal idiosyncrasies.
Topic area: Orthography design Keywords: orthography design, dialectal diversity
SARIMANOK ROOM
(1.4) SESSION FOUR • 1:40-2:10 pm
(1.4.1) New knowledge: Findings from the Catalogue of Endangered Languages
Lyle Campbell • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Nala Huiying Lee • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Eve Okura • [email protected] University of Hawaii at Mānoa Sean Simpson • [email protected] University of Hawaii at Mānoa Kaori Ueki • [email protected]
The Catalogue of Endangered Languages, recently launched (at endangeredlanguages.com), has already produced valuable new knowledge about the endangered languages of the world, providing hard evidence that supports some—but challenges other—oft-made claims about the state and rate of language decline.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: new findings, catalogue, extinction, status of endangered languages
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(1.4.2) Documenting ethnobotanical knowledge among Gújjolaay-Eegimaa speakers
Serge Sagna • [email protected] University of Surrey
This paper provides a critical discussion of techniques used to document plant knowledge and noun classification among speakers of Gújjolaay-Eegimaa (Atlantic; Niger-Congo). I examine the assignment of plant-denoting nouns in different noun classes and show that plants are classified based on cognitive categorization principles, rather than taxonomic classification.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: ethnobotany, taxonomy, research techniques
KOI ROOM
(1.4.3) Interwoven: Material culture, museums, and lexicography
Deborah Hill • [email protected] University of Canberra
Interdisciplinary research is like a woven product: the threads can become difficult to disentangle. This paper describes a language documentation project in Solomon Islands that has benefitted from the legacy of much earlier anthropological work, and an interdisciplinary project that links the anthropologist’s legacy to material culture, museums, and lexicography.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: lexicography, museums, material culture, anthropology
ASIA ROOM
(1.4.4) Novel developments in ELAN
Han Sloetjes • [email protected] Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Herman Stehouwer • [email protected] Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Sebastian Drude • [email protected] Max Planck for Psycholinguistics
We give an overview of the major recent enhancements to ELAN, a well-known tool for time- linked annotation of multimedia material, as well as ongoing work: segmentation, transcription and (incipiently) interlinearization (“Lexan”) modes, FLEx interoperability, multiple-file operations, logical tier creation, and recognizer integration. These changes provide a much improved workflow.
Topic area: Technology in documentation – methods and pitfalls Keywords: ELAN, annotation, documentation, transcription
PACIFIC ROOM
(1.4.5) The interaction of linguistic and social factors in orthography development: The case of Anii
Deborah Morton • [email protected] The Ohio State University Stefanie Zaske • [email protected] SIL
This talk discusses principles used in the development of the orthography for the West African language Anii to illustrate how linguistic factors (e.g., place assimilation and vowel harmony) interact with social factors (e.g., dialect choice, community interest in literacy, and the language of schooling in the area) in orthography development.
Topic area: Orthography design Keywords: Anii orthography
SARIMANOK ROOM
(1.4.6) Establishing oral language progressions for the Māori language
Katarina Edmonds • [email protected] Learning Media Limited
National standards for literacy and numeracy are among the most important issues driving educational policy and practice in New Zealand. Establishing progressions in oral language proficiency for the Māori-medium sector is part of that process. This paper discusses the process and progressions that have been established.
Topic area: Methods of assessing ethnolinguistic vitality Keywords: Māori oral proficiency standards
SARIMANOK ROOM
(1.5) SESSION FIVE • 2:20-2:50 pm
(1.5.1) Practical applications of the Endangered Languages Project
Sean Simpson • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
This paper focuses on the description and assessment of unique tools that the Endangered Languages Project provides to professional linguists and speakers of endangered languages alike. Attention is given to ways in which these tools have already been employed by users and how they may be improved in the future.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: endangered language resources, technology, community engagement, the Catalogue of Endangered Languages
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(1.5.2) What's in a name? Keying into traditional linguistic knowledge to help unlock modern scientific mysteries
Tobias Bloyd • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Linguistic methods can extract data from names that (once verified against folklore by cultural experts) can be given to physical scientists, farmers, and agricultural planners. This paper explores Hawaiian place names, but the methods are applicable to any indigenous language as well as a broad range of scientific enquiry.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: historical collaboration, agriculture independence
KOI ROOM
(1.5.3) What does it meme? Lexicography for a new generation of language learners
Patricia Anderson • [email protected] Tulane University
This paper examines the ways in which social media websites can aid revitalization projects in building new kinds of dictionaries that cater to technologically savvy language learners. Internet memes are particularly useful in this effort as they encourage learners to engage with vocabulary in creative ways, expanding words into new domains.
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: social media, revitalization
ASIA ROOM
(1.5.4) KinOath Kinship Archiver: A new tool for recording and exploring kinship relations
Peter Withers • [email protected] TLA, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen
KinOath Kinship Archiver is a kinship application that is designed to be flexible and culturally nonspecific. Archived material like video or audio files can be linked to individuals in the kinship data, and searches can be performed based on kinship relations. Kin terms can be defined with kintype strings and displayed on the diagram.
Topic area: Data management Keywords: kinship, kinterms, kintypes, archive
PACIFIC ROOM
(1.5.5) Orthographic reform in Cook Islands Māori: Human considerations and language revitalisation implications
Sally Akevai Te Namu Nicholas • [email protected] University of Auckland
This paper looks at the trials and tribulations of negotiating orthographic reform for Cook Islands Māori, an under-described and endangered East Polynesian language, with respect to both linguistic and social concerns from the point of view of a linguist who is also a member of the language community.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: orthography, community consultation, literacy
SARIMANOK ROOM
(1.5.6) At the limits of language documentation: The future of language revitalization and the Tuscarora language
Montgomery Hill • [email protected] SUNY Buffalo
This paper discusses strategies the Tuscarora language program is employing to overcome deficiencies in documentation, effective language planning, and furthering understanding of the Tuscarora language. Furthermore, this also provides Tuscarora insight into what it means to have successfully revitalized a language in a highly endangered situation.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: Tuscarora, revitalization, identity, authenticity
KANIELA ROOM
PAPERS (2.1-2.7) FRIDAY, MARCH 1
(2.1) SESSION ONE • 9:00-9:30 am
(2.1.1) Documenting Inuit knowledge: Plants & their uses in Greenland
Lenore Grenoble • [email protected] University of Chicago Simone Whitecloud • [email protected] Dartmouth College
We present the results of collaborative ongoing research into the documentation of the knowledge (linguistic, scientific, and local) about plants and their uses in Greenland and provide an analysis of the Kalaallisut common names for plants, showing that a great majority fall into a relatively small set of morphosemantic categories.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: ethnobotany, native taxonomies, Inuit
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(2.1.2) Performing ‘deceased’ languages: Solomon Nangamu’s Manangkardi mirrijpu (seagull) songs and the living tradition of kun-borrk in western Arnhem Land
Reuben Brown • [email protected] The University of Sydney with video contributions by Solomon Nangamu and Russell Agalara
Kun-borrk is a song and dance tradition of Bininj (Aboriginal people) of western Arnhem Land in Australia, an area of linguistic diversity. This presentation examines Solomon Nangamu’s Manangkardi mirrijpu (seagull) songs and how Bininj are singing, dancing, and recording kun- borrk to ensure that the next generation keeps their own ancestral languages alive.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: kun-borrk, West Arnhem Land, endangered languages, Aboriginal song and dance
KOI ROOM
(2.1.3) Yakkha complex predicates and the grammar/lexicon distinction
Diana Schackow • [email protected] Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
By giving an overview of the highly productive and multifunctional system of complex predication in Yakkha (Tibeto-Burman), I will argue that the connections between lexicalized and grammaticalized complex predicates need to be carved out in a grammatical description that aims at understanding the principles behind the whole system.
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: complex predicates, grammar design, lexicalization, grammaticalization
ASIA ROOM
(2.1.4) How indigenous conceptions shape the work: The case of the Miromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre
Daryn McKenny • [email protected] Miromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre Carol Genetti • [email protected] University of California, Santa Barbara Thiago Chacon • [email protected] University of California, Santa Barbara
This paper explores how indigenous views of language, culture, and identity profoundly shape the goals, methods, and products of the Miromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre, an independent and indigenous-run organization in Australia. This provides an interesting contrast with LDC work of academic linguists.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: indigenous culture language centre
PACIFIC ROOM
(2.1.5) Şóo'aantum chamnéshkinum yumáykawichum michá' pomqálqalay: Protecting our ancestor's places
Lisa Woodward • [email protected] Pechanga Tribal Government Paul Macarro • [email protected] Pechanga Tribal Government
The presenters will discuss how a tribe utilizes ethnographic and linguistic data to create a Tribal Territory map using GIS technology. In an attempt to preserve culturally significant places, this information is used to comment on proposed development projects within the traditional Tribal Territory.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: mapping place names, ethnography, linguistic field notes
SARIMANOK ROOM
(2.2) SESSION TWO • 9:40-10:10 am
(2.2.1) The role of narrative in the transmission and contextualization of traditional ecological knowledge in Mortlockese
Emerson Lopez Odango • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
This paper investigates the role that narrative discourse plays in the transmission and contextualization of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in the medium of Mortlockese, a minority language of the Federated States of Micronesia. Documentary linguists and ethnobiologists alike must attune to narrative when recording, analyzing, and contextualizing TEK.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: traditional ecological knowledge, narrative, Micronesia
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(2.2.2) Eastern Australian indigenous language centres - Collective action for community needs
Kevin Lowe • [email protected] Eastern States Aboriginal Languages Group Faith Baisden • [email protected] Eastern States Aboriginal Languages Group Paul Paton • [email protected] Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages
A presentation on the work of experienced community language advocates to coordinate efforts between language centres over a large geographical area of Australia. Identifying common issues of concern and providing representation to decision makers on behalf of community.
Topic area: Collaborating and advocating on behalf of community language centres Keywords: advocacy, communication, language centres, strategies
KOI ROOM
(2.2.3) Digital dictionary development for Torwali, a less-studied language: Process and challenges
Inam Ullah • [email protected] Torwali Gull Feroz • [email protected] Torwali
This paper shares experiences and challenges regarding lexicography of an endangered language, Torwali, from data collection by a native language activist to organization and presentation for producing multiple versions of the dictionary. It presents some recommendations for similar projects of non-written languages.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: lexicography, endangered languages, language technology
ASIA ROOM
(2.2.4) Re-centering the Alaska Native Language Center: Challenges and opportunities for language centers in a new linguistic era
Lawrence Kaplan • [email protected] University of Alaska Fairbanks Gary Holton • [email protected] University of Alaska Fairbanks
This presentation summarizes the history of the Alaska Native Language Center and current efforts to adapt its mission to the current landscape, as a decline in numbers of speakers increases the urgency of language revitalization.
Topic area: Language centers Keywords: language centers, revitalization, training
PACIFIC ROOM
(2.2.5) The Algonquian Online Interactive Linguistic Atlas
Marie-Odile Junker • [email protected] Carleton University Nicole Rosen • [email protected] University of Lethbridge Hélène St-Onge • [email protected] Institut Tshakapesh Arok Wolvengrey • [email protected] First Nation University Mimie Neacappo • [email protected] Carleton University
The Algonquian On-line Interactive Linguistic Atlas is a collaborative participatory action project with partners involved in the documentation and revitalization of over fifteen Algonquian languages of Canada. In this multimedia presentation, we show and discuss the tools, technology, and methods used to implement this wide-reaching documentation effort, focusing on its pedagogical applications.
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: Linguistic atlas, Algonquian, dialectology, pedagogy
SARIMANOK ROOM
(2.3) SESSION THREE • 10:20-10:50 am
(2.3.1) Documenting folk science – Solega honeybee knowledge as a case study
Aung Si • [email protected] Australian National University
Some aspects of the Solega community’s knowledge of the biology of honeybees are described. I show that despite not being beekeepers, the Solega have in-depth knowledge of honeybee behaviour and ecology. Such knowledge forms a core part of a community’s cultural heritage and should be targeted in language documentation projects.
Topic area: Documenting ethnobiological knowledge Keywords: Solega, honeybee, ethnobiology, folk science
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(2.3.2) Collaborative development of materials for indigenous language and literacy instruction in Paraguay
Shaw Gynan • [email protected] Western Washington University
In Nivaklé, Ayoreo, Aché, Enxet, Koasvok, Qom and Ishir communities of Paraguay, the de facto educational model has been Spanish language and literacy instruction, excluding traditional languages. Indigenous teachers have invited linguists to collaborate in development of techniques and materials for indigenous language and literacy instruction, exemplifying sharing worlds of knowledge through a community-based empowerment approach.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: collaboration, literacy, methodology, Paraguay
KOI ROOM
(2.3.3) The Kalaallisut‐English Dictionary Project
Carl Christian Olsen Puju • [email protected] Oqaasileriffik Lenore Grenoble • [email protected] The University of Chicago Katti Frederiksen • [email protected] Oqaasileriffik T.J. Heins • [email protected] University of Chicago Jerrold Sadock • [email protected] University of Chicago Perry Wong • [email protected] University of Chicago
We present a collaborative project to create bilingual Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic) – English dictionaries designed for native speakers/language learners of both languages. Details of the collaborative process and underlying principles are provided, along with sample entries, which illustrate the implementation of these principles.
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: bilingual dictionary, Greenlandic, English, Kalaallisut
ASIA ROOM
(2.3.4) "It's so alive right now": Community-university collaboration for Lenape language education in Pennsylvania
Miranda Weinberg • [email protected] University of Pennsylvania Haley De Korne • [email protected] University of Pennsylvania Shelley Depaul • [email protected] Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania
This paper describes Lenape language revitalization efforts in Pennsylvania, which include a language class at Swarthmore College. We present the history of revitalization efforts and benefits of the community-university collaboration for both community language efforts and university students, a new Lenape speech community.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: community-university collaboration, Lenape, higher education, Pennsylvania
PACIFIC ROOM
(2.3.5) PASAGLOSSA: Mapping the world's linguistic diversity
Steve Huffman • [email protected] Department of Defense Christopher Green • [email protected] University of Maryland
PASAGLOSSA is an interactive map-based language portal, which links geographic polygons to information about the world’s languages. We will demonstrate its basic features, highlighting its search capabilities and technological infrastructure. With this foundation in place, PASAGLOSSA stands ready to be populated with a diverse array of world language data.
Topic area: Technology in documentation—methods and pitfalls Keywords: geolinguistics, collaboration, resource access
SARIMANOK ROOM
(2.4) SESSION FOUR • 11:00-11:30 am
(2.4.1) The visual mode of language
Mandana Seyfeddinipur • [email protected] SOAS
Language documentation practitioners still often focus on audio recording only. This talk will outline and exemplify the fundamental multimodal nature of language focusing on manual gesture. The implications for documentary linguistics and for video recording techniques and particularly for training in video recording techniques will be exemplified.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: gesture, sign language, language use, video recording
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(2.4.2) Engaging in collaborative corpora development for language and music
Suzanne Urbanczyk • [email protected] University of Victoria Ryan Nicolson University of Victoria Deanna Nicolson Jenn Harry Marilyn Harry
This paper discusses pilot projects with three communities on Vancouver Island, BC, in which the goal is to engage with communities in compiling corpora of language and music that are meaningful and relevant to community members, while also being useful research tools for academics.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: collaboration corpora music
KOI ROOM
(2.4.3) Child language documentation NSF-sponsored talk
Birgit Hellwig • [email protected] Centre for Research on Language Diversity, La Trobe University
The central aim of language documentation is to comprehensively document the speech practices of a community, including the contexts in which children learn to speak. This talk looks at the possibilities of child language documentation, drawing on insights from an on-going project among the Qaqet of Papua New Guinea.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge
ASIA ROOM
(2.4.4) The documentary linguist as facilitator: The view from Trung (Dulong)
Ross Perlin • [email protected] University of Bern
The concept of the linguist as facilitator is under-theorized in documentary linguistics and may provide a useful complement to the practice of empowerment research. Facilitation practices may include a focus on process and group dynamics, impartiality or neutrality, the evoking of participation, trust and consensus-building, and resource aggregation.
Topic area: Assessing success in documentation and revitalization strategies Keywords: linguist, documentation, role, facilitator
PACIFIC ROOM (2.5) SESSION FIVE • 1:00-1:30 pm
(2.5.1) A linguistic analysis of Dalabon ethnobiology
Sarah Cutfield • [email protected] UC Berkeley
In this paper, I present a linguistic analysis of the categorization principles in Dalabon folk taxonomy (Northern Australia). I explore the relationship between biological ‘taxa’ and linguistic ‘senses’ and highlight the semantic principles underpinning the polysemy, sign metonymy and (partial) reduplication attested in the Dalabon data.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: ethnobiology, Aboriginal languages, polysemy
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(2.5.2) A global profile of language development versus language endangerment
Gary Simons • [email protected] SIL International Paul Lewis • [email protected] SIL International
Reporting on an effort to assign Expanded GIDS levels to every known language, the authors present a global profile of levels of language development (e.g., 10% have reached the relative safety of institutionalization) versus language endangerment (e.g., 12% are dying).
Topic area: Language planning Keywords: language status, global assessment, language development, language endangerment
KOI ROOM
(2.5.3) Documenting grammar through the lens of endangered languages: Examples from a Papuan language
Carol Priestley • [email protected] Griffith University
This paper suggests an approach to documenting grammatical categories using terms found within the target language. The aim is to show the perspectives expressed in that language and to encourage revitalization by providing speakers greater access to the recorded grammar. Explications use exponents of semantic primes in a Papuan language.
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: grammatical categories, documentation, semantic primes, endangered language perspectives
ASIA ROOM
(2.5.4) What younger speakers have to teach us: a case study of Light Warlpiri speakers
Carmel O'Shannessy • [email protected] University of Michigan
A case study of a complex language endangerment situation in a Warlpiri community in Australia shows how documentation of the speech of several generations contributes to linguistic understandings. It identifies the creativity of younger speakers who developed a new code, Light Warlpiri, which shows dramatic innovation in core syntax.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: Warlpiri, Light Warlpiri, language maintenance, mixed language
PACIFIC ROOM
(2.5.5) No linguist, no problem: How one tribe uses technology to preserve and promote Luiseño language among all Luiseño people
Joely Proudfit • [email protected] CSU San Marcos / California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center
The Luiseño Language Preservation Project is collaboration between the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians Education Committee, CSUSM California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center, and Palomar College American Indian Studies Department. The purpose of the project was to develop Luiseño language learning tools, product(s), and education workshops that will benefit all Luiseño people.
Topic area: Technology in documentation – methods and pitfalls Keywords: preservation, technology, collaboration, youth
SARIMANOK ROOM
(2.5.6) “Kŋalozʔaʔn ujeretʔiʔn ŋeteɫkilaʔn 2012” (Keepers of the native hearth 2012) – community efforts to save the endangered Itelmen language in Kamchatka, Russia
Tatiana Degai • [email protected] University of Arizona / member of the community Chikako Ono • [email protected] Chiba University David Koester • [email protected] University of Alaska Fairbanks
This presentation describes the research activities and social and linguistic benefits of a gathering of the speakers of the Itelmen language in June, 2012, in Kamchatka, Russia. The gathering fostered otherwise rare conversation in Itelmen, community involvement in language learning and preservation, and allowed recording and intensive documentation by linguists.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: documentation, gathering of speakers
KANIELA ROOM
(2.6) SESSION SIX • 1:40-2:10 pm
(2.6.1 / 2.7.1) Practical materials for the study of language proficiency
William O'Grady • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Ryoko Hattori • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
This two-part presentation focuses on the assessment of proficiency in a language’s most fundamental grammatical mechanisms—case marking, verb agreement, and word order. The materials that we will demonstrate are appropriate for speakers of all ages, require no special expertise to use, and can be adapted for use with any language.
Topic area: Assessing success in documentation and revitalization strategies Keywords: language revitalization, acquisition, assessment
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(2.6.2) Developing a tool to assess language vitality
Michael Ewing • [email protected] University of Melbourne Margaret Florey • [email protected] Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity Romola Rassool • [email protected] University of Melbourne
Assessment of language vitality often relies on self-reporting or other indirect estimates of proficiency. We report on a testing protocol developed to obtain more empirical evidence of proficiency and discuss results from its use in Eastern Indonesia and in Sri Lanka which show how proficiency varies within and between communities.
Topic area: Methods of assessing ethnolinguistic vitality Keywords: vitality assessment
KOI ROOM
(2.6.3) Discussion of the development of a multi-dialectal dictionary in Southeastern Tibet
Ellen Bartee • [email protected] SIL/ETTI Gyesang Tsering
In this discussion we present the background to the development of a multi-dialectal dictionary for Tibetan language varieties spoken in Southeastern Tibet. Areas of discussion will include issues of diglossia and semantic shift as well as issues of ‘user-friendliness.’
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: Tibetan, lexicography, diglossia, non-standard dialects
ASIA ROOM
(2.6.4) Training communities, training graduate students: The 2012 Oklahoma Breath of Life Workshop
Colleen Fitzgerald • [email protected] University of Texas at Arlington Mary Linn • [email protected] University of Oklahoma
The 2012 Oklahoma Breath of Life Workshop demonstrated how to train two diverse audiences, indigenous community members and graduate students, simultaneously. This case study can help other training venues effectively build capacity with limited personnel and funding. Three factors were essential: team selection process; mentoring; final day activities and reflection.
Topic area: Training in documentation methods – beyond the university Keywords: training, community members, graduate students, Breath of Life
PACIFIC ROOM
(2.6.5) Talking about community
Barbara Kelly • [email protected] University of Melbourne Lauren Gawne • [email protected] University of Melbourne
‘Community’ is a term long problematized by sociolinguists and anthropologists but is rarely critiqued in language documentation. We explore ideas of community in language documentation through our experience in Nepal and Australia. We hope to create discussion on a more nuanced approach of what constitutes working “with the community.”
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: community, language documentation, ethics
SARIMANOK ROOM
(2.6.6) Language revitalization in Northern California: Awakening the Wappo language
Aaron Marks • [email protected] University of New Mexico Desirae Harp Wappo Tribe, Sonoma County, CA
The Wappo language of Northern California was considered extinct. Now, with the aid of extensive 20th-century documentation, community members are planning to bring the language back into use. New language materials are planned, and a language program will be initiated that focuses on youth participants engaged in culturally relevant service projects.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: revitalization, youth-driven program, sleeping language, Wappo
KANIELA ROOM
(2.7) SESSION SEVEN • 2:20-2:50 pm
(2.7.2) Assessing language vitality in the context of large-scale migration
Gabriela Perez Baez • [email protected] National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
In San Lucas Quiaviní (Oaxaca, Mexico) 98% of the population speaks the local Zapotec language. However, outmigration has reduced the speaker base by half, especially among children. Yet, this is largely invisible. I describe the methods used in vitality assessment (multi- sited participant observation, surveys, and census data) in this context.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: language endangerment, community profile, migration, methods
KOI ROOM
(2.7.3) Utaina! Documenting the use of Māori in legal contexts since the 1820s
Mary Boyce • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Māmari Stephens • [email protected] Victoria University of Wellington
Since the 1820s, use of Māori in legal contexts has flourished, declined, and revived. The contexts, use, and the nature of legal terms has changed. Customary terms interact with acquired and new terms. Using a corpus we analyzed these terms when compiling entries for the first dictionary of legal Māori.
Topic area: Lexicography and reference grammar design Keywords: Māori, legal, dictionary, lexicon
ASIA ROOM
(2.7.4) Collaborative documentation and revitalization of Cherokee tone and vowel length
Dylan Herrick • [email protected] University of Oklahoma Durbin Feeling • [email protected] Cherokee Nation Marcellino Berardo • [email protected] University of Kansas Tracy Hirata-Eds • [email protected] University of Kansas Lizette Peter • [email protected] University of Kansas
Our project represents a unique contribution to collaborative language documentation and revitalization efforts. We will present a preliminary acoustic analysis of Cherokee tone and vowel length and share lessons we learned from taking a holistic, collaborative approach to the description, documentation, and teaching of tone and vowel length in Cherokee.
Topic area: Training in documentation methods – beyond the university Keywords: Cherokee, tone, vowel length, collaborative documentation and training
PACIFIC ROOM
(2.7.5) yu'ush'i'shul'tul' "Paddling together": Culturally-based language immersion
Kevin Baetscher • [email protected] Simon Fraser University
Canoe racing, which enjoys vast popularity among the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest, is an optimal setting for language immersion. This project piggybacks Hul'q'umi'num' language learning on existing cultural practices by providing language tools for the coaches to use as part of training and traveling.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: Salish, canoe, immersion, multimedia
SARIMANOK ROOM
PAPERS (3.1-3.7) SATURDAY, MARCH 2
(3.1) SESSION ONE • 9:00-9:30 am
(3.1.1) Waterways: a film about water, language, and a changing way of life
Olga Lovick • [email protected] First Nations University of Canada Jessica Cherry • [email protected] University of Alaska Fairbanks Patrick Harman • [email protected]
We present an interdisciplinary film project documenting how water has shaped the life of the Tetlin people. We present three story segments using Upper Tanana Athabascan audio, animated text, and an English translation, enriched with maps and photographs. The result is an educational, museum-quality exhibit intended for the general public.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: Athabascan, environment, hydrology, stories
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.1.2) Language revitalization: issues and outcomes
Julia Sallabank • [email protected] School of Oriental and African Studies, London
This paper looks at language activities in the Channel Islands and relates them to theoretical issues regarding language revitalization, in an attempt to address what is meant by ‘saving a language.’ The presentation will show examples of language-related activities and discuss their rationales, definitions, aims, domains, challenges, and outcomes.
Topic area: Assessing success in documentation and revitalization strategies Keywords: revitalization, ideological clarification, rationale, outcomes
KOI ROOM
(3.1.3) Kubeo sacred landscapes: a key to culture and language maintenance
Thiago Chacon • [email protected] University of California at Santa Barbara
This paper reports on an ongoing project among the Kubeo Indians in the Brazilian Northwest Amazon that demonstrates how the documentation of threatened domains of traditional culture can be used as a method and resource for enhancing language, culture, and formal education in a minority ethnic group.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: Kubeo, landscape, language documentation, maintenance
ASIA ROOM
(3.1.4) Technology in documentation: TEI and the Nxa'amxcín Dictionary
Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins • [email protected] University of Victoria Martin Holmes • [email protected] University of Victoria
Expanding use of technology has increased interest in digital standards for endangered language lexica. Few lexica, however, seem to use the Digital Humanities XML standard, TEI. We outline a Nxa'amxcín (Salish) dictionary project that uses TEI, arguing that TEI is a useful tool. We briefly compare TEI, LMF/DCR and LIFT/GOLD.
Topic area: Technology in documentation—methods and pitfalls Keywords: digital lexica, digital standards, TEI
PACIFIC ROOM
(3.1.5) Exchanging words and skills: Language documentation in West Papua
Emily Gasser • [email protected] Yale University
This paper discusses the author’s experiences conducting fieldwork in West Papua under the auspices of a locally-run language center. The community determined that their best interests were served by encouraging open access to outside researchers while requesting training in linguistic best practices, providing another possible model for the community/linguist relationship.
Topic area: Ethical issues Keywords: community/linguist relationships, data access, Indonesia
SARIMANOK ROOM
(3.1.6) The National Curriculum Framework for Australian Indigenous languages
Doug Marmion • [email protected] AIATSIS Jaky Troy • [email protected] AIATSIS Suzanne Bradshaw • [email protected] Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
This presentation reports on the process of development of a national curriculum framework to support the teaching of Indigenous Australian languages in schools. It describes the key design features of the framework and implementation strategies that enable it to address a wide variety of language situations and learners.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: education, curriculum design
KANIELA ROOM
(3.2) SESSION TWO • 9:40-10:10 am
(3.2.1) Documentation of culture and language: a mutually enriching collaboration
John Van Way • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Bkra shis Bzang po • [email protected] Gerald Roche • [email protected] Qinghai Normal University Elena McKinlay • [email protected] Qinghai Normal University
This presentation is about collaboration between cultural documentation and language documentation. We will define what is meant by cultural documentation and describe the mutually beneficial relationship that can occur in collaboration with language documentation. Details about the authors’ own projects and practical advice for other contexts will also be discussed.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: cultural documentation, collaboration, western China, Nyagrong Minyag
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.2.2) What is missing in language revitalization?
Lucy Bell • [email protected] UVIC/Haida Gwaii, BC Candace Weir • [email protected] UVIC/Haida Gwaii, BC
In the race to revitalize indigenous languages, there is a great need to call upon traditional beliefs including prayer, ritual, and medicines that our ancestors once relied on to be great speakers, singers, and leaders.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages; language and spirituality Keywords: language isolate, spirituality, epistemology, small language
KOI ROOM
(3.2.3) Documenting practices for reference to place in Kula
Nicholas Williams • [email protected] University of Colorado, Boulder
This paper presents initial findings of research on place reference in conversational interaction conducted as part of a project documenting Kula, an endangered language of Alor, eastern Indonesia. The project aims to produce a high-quality video documentation of everyday language use and social interaction in the Kula community.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: place reference, social interaction, Alor-Pantar, documentation methods
ASIA ROOM
(3.2.4) Reusing manuscript vocabularies, an example from Western Australia
Nick Thieberger • [email protected] University of Melbourne
This paper discusses a method for dealing with large manuscript vocabulary sets in order to make them accessible and useable today. It describes the use of the Text Encoding Initiative’s XML format with vocabularies of Australian languages from the early 1900s.
Topic area: Archiving matters Keywords: using historical sources, encoding vocabulary lists, XML
PACIFIC ROOM
(3.2.5) I’m not learning a second language, I’m learning my language: Being Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw and learning Kwak’wala
Trish Rosborough • [email protected] BC Ministry of Education / Kwakiutl
Through a Ḵ̓a̱ngex̱tola framework, an Indigenous methodology based on the metaphor of creating a button blanket, the ceremonial regalia of the Kwakwaa kaa ’wakw, the author explores what it means to be Kwakwaa kaa ’wakw learning and speaking Kwak’wala. Indigenous language revitalization efforts must take into account the impacts of colonization.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: colonization, Indigenization, cultural transmission
SARIMANOK ROOM
(3.2.6) Assessing indigenous language programs in an American “hot spot”: Researching the lived experience of Native American school stakeholders
Taylor Tribble • [email protected] University of Oklahoma
This article discusses language attitudes while focusing on the lived experience of indigenous school stakeholders within the context of the Cherokee Immersion School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It examines the history of language ideology, policy, and language programs and discusses the perceived impact of immersion programs on language revitalization within Oklahoma.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: indigenous perspectives on schooling
KANIELA ROOM
(3.3) SESSION THREE • 10:20-10:50 am
(3.3.1) Traditional knowledge, language, and the men’s house: the case of an Oceanic language in Papua New Guinea
Hiroko Sato • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Luke Mara
We discuss community awareness and engagement in relation to a documentation project going beyond linguistics in an endangered Oceanic language of Papua New Guinea. Particularly, we ask how community-based language documentation can respond to a community’s needs in order to raise awareness of language issues.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: community-based documentation, traditional knowledge, men's house
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.3.2) Reclaiming an indigenous epistemology: Indigenous language reclamation – The learners’ perspective
Laurie Sherry-Kirk • [email protected] Brock University
There is little, if any, studies that give voice to the learner’s experiential vantage point as s/he sets out on their own language recovery journey. Through the use of an Indigenous knowledge system (the teachings of the medicine wheel), this research provides insight into how the utilization of Indigenous theory can be put into the practice of language revitalization.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: language revitalization, learners’ perspective
KOI ROOM
(3.3.3) Seeking new paradigms for collaboration: Results from a study of field linguists
Laura Robinson • [email protected] University of California, Santa Barbara
Collaboration is becoming the widely accepted best practice, but most work theorizing collaborative research has come from scholars working in Australia and the Americas. This paper presents the results of a study of over 200 fieldworkers to show that collaborative research practices are not evenly distributed.
Topic area: Ethical issues Keywords: collaboration, linguistic fieldwork, ethics, Pacific
ASIA ROOM
(3.3.4) Progressive archiving: theoretical and practical implications for documentary linguistics
David Nathan • [email protected] SOAS, University of London
There has been little theorisation so far about the interrelationship between archiving and documentary linguistics. Plans at the ELAR archive to support “progressive depositing” of documentary materials have implications for the theory and practice of documentary linguistics itself and offer opportunities to review assumptions and extend participation.
Topic area: Interrelationship between archiving and documentation Keywords: archiving, "progressive depositing,” documentation theory
PACIFIC ROOM
(3.3.5) Sharing worlds of knowledge: Research protocols for communities
Andrea Wilhelm • [email protected] University of Victoria & University of Alberta Connie Cheecham Northern Lights School District
We present the process and results of developing a research protocol for an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan, Canada. The protocol was developed collaboratively by community representatives and a researcher. Topics dealt with are research context and goals, informed consent, representation of research, intellectual property, access, and process.
Topic area: Ethical issues & sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: community research, research protocols, intellectual property
SARIMANOK ROOM
(3.3.6) Macro-scale features of school-based language revitalization programs
Brad Montgomery-Anderson • [email protected] Northeastern State University
This paper contributes to language revitalization theory by describing macro-scale features characteristic of a school-based approach. These factors are: an emphasis on domain creation, school as the initial focus of effort, second-language users, and an emphasis on intragenerational use of the language.
Topic area: Language planning Keywords: Native American languages, Hawaiian language, indigenous language education
KANIELA ROOM
(3.4) SESSION FOUR • 11:00-11:30 am
(3.4.1) Worlds of knowledge in Central Bhutan: Documentation of ’Olekha
Gwendolyn Hyslop • [email protected] Australian National University
’Olekha is a highly endangered Tibeto-Burman isolate of central Bhutan. This paper examines three semantic domains of the language: agriculture, kinship, and ethnobotany. A comparison of the data with that found in other Bhutanese languages suggests that different ‘worlds of knowledge’ may illustrate different periods in the language speakers’ social history.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: Bhutan, 'Olekha, ethnobotany, kinship
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.4.2) Developing a regional Master-Apprentice training network in Australia
Margaret Florey • [email protected] Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity Knut Olawsky • [email protected] Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre
This paper considers an innovative strategy to develop a national Master-Apprentice network in Australia. In 2012, 36 Indigenous Australians from 31 language communities participated in two Master-Apprentice train-the-trainer workshops. We discuss highlights of the training program and challenges in adapting the MALLP method to the Australian context and present some emerging outcomes.
Topic area: Training in language revitalisation methods Keywords: Master-Apprentice, training, revitalisation
KOI ROOM
(3.4.3) From documenting languages to documenting language dynamics: Experiences from Lower Fungom, Cameroon NSF-sponsored talk
Jeff Good • [email protected] University at Buffalo
The Lower Fungom region of Cameroon is exceptionally diverse linguistically, containing seven small languages and raising the question: What factors have allowed it to maintain this diversity? This talk describes interdisciplinary research seeking to answer this question and provides practical advice to linguists interested in engaging in similar work.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge
ASIA ROOM
(3.4.4) Endangered resources: a program for collection and preservation
Jeremy Nordmoe • [email protected] SIL International
Many archives dedicated to documenting and conserving languages preserve resources produced by contemporary researchers. However, materials produced during past work in linguistics and related fields also require preservation. This paper will explore a program for rescuing these endangered resources.
Topic area: Archiving matters Keywords: archives, endangered resources
PACIFIC ROOM
(3.4.5) Dena’ina language learning through audio-video lessons: a potential model for other endangered languages
D. Roy Mitchell IV • [email protected] University of Alaska Fairbanks
Adult learners of Dena’ina Athabascan want learning resources accessible anytime, anywhere. Fluent elders, learners, and language workers created audio-video recordings, now on the internet. I share how we created our recordings, what we learned, and our hope that other indigenous language communities consider this mode of delivering language learning opportunities.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: Dena'ina Athabascan, language-learning videos
KANIELA ROOM
(3.5) SESSION FIVE • 1:00-1:30 pm
(3.5.1) The house the ǂKx’ao-ǁ’ae built: An approach to documenting language & sharing knowledge
Lee J. Pratchett • [email protected] Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
By building a grass hut, five women share their traditions with their children, knowledge with a distant community, language with a linguist, and culture with the world. This paper puts sharing cultural knowledge at the heart of language documentation and conservation, developing methodology beneficial to both researchers and communities.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: documentation methodology, Khoesan, multimedia
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.5.2) What works well for teaching a reawakening language? A Gamilaraay teacher's perspective
Tracey Cameron • [email protected] Gamilaraay community Susan Poetsch • [email protected] University of Sydney
This paper presents findings of a 10-week, classroom-based, action research project conducted by a Gamilaraay language teacher in New South Wales, Australia. It compares orally-based with literacy-focused teaching methods. It lends insights into effective teaching strategies for languages being revitalised from historical sources.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: reclamation, primary school education, second language teaching
KOI ROOM
(3.5.3) Our Voices on the Air: Results on a conference exploring the nexus of community radio and language revitalization
Michael Mason • [email protected] Smithsonian's National Musuem of Natural History Suzanne Benally • [email protected] Cultural Survival
The Smithsonian and Cultural Survival co-hosted Our Voices on the Air: Reaching New Audiences through Indigenous Radio, a conference convening Indigenous radio producers, linguists, and language and media advocates from eight countries to explore the nexus of community radio and language revitalization efforts.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: radio, revitalization, collaboration
ASIA ROOM
(3.5.4) Using distributed version control systems to improve project management and collaboration
Benjamin Chauvette • [email protected] Rice University
This presentation examines how the tools software developers use to collaboratively edit and manage source code – even when geographically or technologically separated from each other – can be used in language documentation projects to facilitate better project management and more collaborative workflows.
Topic area: Technology in documentation – methods and pitfalls Keywords: technology, collaboration, project management, distributed version control systems
PACIFIC ROOM
(3.5.5) Lapuhch: Tunica language awakening, a new methodology?
Judith Maxwell • [email protected] Tulane University
For the past three years, linguists at Tulane have been working with members of the Tunica- Biloxi tribe of Louisiana to awaken their sleeping language. Here I present methods used to stimulate language use for learners of various ages with special attention to interactive classroom techniques with no living native-speaker guide.
Topic area: Language revitalization, language teaching methodologies for "sleeping" languages Keywords: revitalization, language teaching, sleeping languages
SARIMANOK ROOM
(3.6) SESSION SIX • 1:40-2:10 pm
(3.6.1) The areal properties of tone in the Mackenzie Basin Dene (Athabaskan) languages
Joyce McDonough • [email protected] University of Rochester
As part of a study of the areal properties of the phonetic structures of the Mackenzie Basin Dene (Athabaskan) languages and dialects, this talk examines the realization of tone in several of these language communities which constitute an important group for which, until recently, little phonetic documentation has been available.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: areal properties, tone, tonogenesis, documentation, phonetic fieldwork
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.6.2) “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” is not an Aboriginal song
Jo-Anne Edwards • [email protected] University of Sydney John Hobson • [email protected] University of Sydney
This paper examines the potential cultural and linguistic risks associated with using Western (English) music and songs in Indigenous Australian revitalisation classrooms and reports on teacher-practitioner research conducted to assess the potential and value of using culturally marked Aboriginal song styles instead.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: song teaching Aboriginal Australian
KOI ROOM
(3.6.3) The impact of dialectal variation on documentation and conservation work
Zoe Tribur • [email protected] University of Oregon
The work of language documentation and conservation is often complicated by the presence of dialects. How to identify dialectal variation and represent it in descriptions and education programs is an important question for the language worker. I examine the issue through the lens of my field research on Amdo Tibetan.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: Amdo Tibetan, RLS, dialectal variation, dialect documentation
ASIA ROOM
(3.6.4) Under the snowshoe trail: Documenting Alaska’s indigenous astronomy
Chris Cannon • [email protected] University of Alaska, Fairbanks
I describe an approach to documenting traditional astronomical knowledge, which draws on the existing linguistic archival record in combination with interviews with modern speakers to reconstruct concepts of indigenous astronomy for each of Alaska’s twenty Native languages. This has implications more broadly for documentation of other fields of traditional knowledge.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: Alaska Natives, astronomy
PACIFIC ROOM
(3.6.5) The Tunica Language Revitalization Project: Methods, challenges, and data conflict in language recreation
Raina Heaton • [email protected] University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
This paper discusses the practical and ethical issues that arise from attempting to revive a language with insufficient and conflicting documentary data. Focus is given to verb formation processes and what semantic and pragmatic information can be gleaned from older materials, applied to filling the holes in the Tunica system.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: revitalization, Tunica, documentation, data concerns
SARIMANOK ROOM
(3.7) SESSION SEVEN • 2:20-2:50 pm
(3.7.1) Pedagogy and practice: Grammatical analysis in a revitalization project
Andrew Garrett • [email protected] University of California, Berkeley
I describe activities and challenges associated with providing grammatical support for Yurok language teaching; Yurok is an indigenous language of northwest California. I focus on areas where grammatical research has been redirected to areas of pedagogical need and areas where grammatical exposition may contradict the practice of younger speakers today.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: pedagogy, revitalization
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(3.7.2) Language revitalization and literacy on the West African littoral
Tucker Childs • [email protected] Portland State University
This paper reports on a revitalization project in Sierra Leone involving a highly endangered language spoken by a non-literate society in a remote area. The challenges are formidable but surmountable with the aid of computers, a connection to the internet, and local leadership, particularly of the traditional kind.
Topic area: Assessing success in documentation and revitalization strategies Keywords: documentation, revitalization, literacy, technology
KOI ROOM
(3.7.3) "Don't talk to him! His family speaks a bit mixed." Multilingualism from the perspective of the documenter
Christian Döhler • [email protected] The Australian National University
The paper will describe the practical problems of starting a documentation project in a multilingual community, where several varieties of a dialect chain have been mixed up, due to the post-colonial history of the area. The presenter will offer a historical explanation and offer some ad-hoc solutions to solve the problem.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: sociolinguistics, post-colonial history, documentation, dialect chain
ASIA ROOM
(3.7.4) From theory to praxis: Lessons learned from the elaboration of Baure teaching materials
Femmy Admiraal • [email protected] University of Amsterdam
This paper discusses how field linguists can contribute to the preservation of the languages they are documenting, based on the lessons learned from the elaboration of Baure teaching materials. It highlights successes and shortcomings of the project and provides recommendations for producing similar materials that help preserve an endangered language.
Topic area: Teaching/learning small languages Keywords: language documentation, revitalization, teaching materials for endangered languages
PACIFIC ROOM
PAPERS (4.1-4.4) SUNDAY, MARCH 3
(4.1) SESSION ONE • 9:00-9:30 am
(4.1.1) From Elands to ELAN: The Juǀ’hoan chase linguists out of the Kalahari
Lee J. Pratchett • [email protected] Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Megan Biesele Kalahari People’s Fund
The Juǀ’hoan, a former hunter-gatherer people of the Kalahari, are taking language documentation into their own hands. Emphasising the necessity of accommodating culture- specific knowledge systems into language revitalisation projects, this paper will illustrate how the Juǀ’hoan Transcription Group may serve as a model for community-based self- documentation.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: Khoesan, ELAN, community, self-documentation
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(4.1.2) Sharing Kwakwaka’wakw worlds of knowledge through kota
Patricia A. Shaw • [email protected] University of British Columbia Gloria Cranmer Webster Laura Cranmer University of British Columbia and Vancouver Island University Carrie Mortimer Kwagu’ɬ, Kwakwaka’wakw
Our research focusses on the language, music, form, and cultural significance of traditional string figures, kota, documented among the Kwakwaka’wakw people in 1930-31 but long since forgotten, and the impact of the re-introduction of this oral tradition and performance art on documentation and revitalization of the critically endangered Kwak’wala language.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: community, revitalization, documentation, song/string-games
KOI ROOM
(4.1.3) Beyond the ancestral code: Towards a model for sociolinguistic language documentation
Jeff Good • [email protected] University at Buffalo Tucker Childs • [email protected] Portland State University
This paper reports the results of a workshop on sociolinguistic language documentation in Sub- Saharan Africa. Recommendations arising from it include: the value of natural conversation in documenting a language’s sociolinguistic setting, the importance of more careful consideration of language ideologies, and the need for more flexible training opportunities.
Topic area: Sociolinguistic documentation; documentary methodology Keywords: sociolinguistics, language documentation, Africa
ASIA ROOM
(4.1.4) Rating the vitality of sign languages
J. Albert Bickford • [email protected] SIL International Paul Lewis • [email protected] SIL International Gary Simons • [email protected] SIL International
A revision of the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (based on Fishman’s earlier work) is proposed that accommodates signed as well as spoken languages. This requires, among other things, a substantive re-evaluation of the role of literacy in language vitality and raises key questions about vitality of sign languages generally.
Topic area: Methods of assessing ethnolinguistic vitality Keywords: sign languages, vitality, endangerment, EGIDS
PACIFIC ROOM
(4.1.5) Linguistic issues in reviving Siraya
Alexander Adelaar • [email protected] The University of Melbourne
Some linguistic features of Siraya (a dormant language from Taiwan) were either becoming obsolete, or only surfaced in one of the language's two dialects, at the time these dialects were documented. Should these features become part of today's curriculum? And how to combine Siraya lexicon from two different dialect sources?
Topic area: Language planning Keywords: Siraya, Formosan, grammar design
SARIMANOK ROOM
(4.2) SESSION TWO • 9:40-10:10 am
(4.2.1) Language documentation when the community is not “in the mood”: Issues in community-centered documentation efforts in Ikema Ryukyuan
Toshihide Nakayama • [email protected] Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Tsuyoshi Ono • [email protected] University of Alberta
We would like to point out, by citing the case of Ikema Ryukyuan (Okinawa, Japan), that a community-centered approach, currently gaining momentum, cannot always be applied easily in language documentation and conservation efforts. We will discuss potential causes for this situation and explore ways to deal with this issue.
Topic area: Issues in practicing community-centered documentation Keywords: community-centered documentation, collaboration, relationship with community, Ryukyuan
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(4.2.2) Revitalizing what? – Towards a holistic model of Indigenous language and cultural revitalization in an urban context
Sarah Shulist • [email protected] University of Western Ontario
This paper will consider the need to rethink strategies and theories of language revitalization in urban and diasporic settings. Drawing on involvement with language revitalization in the Northwest Brazilian Amazon, I argue that the ideological and social challenges facing urban Indigenous populations necessitate a loosening of the boundaries defining “revitalization.”
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge
KOI ROOM
(4.2.3) Pisamira(tuo) and Yurutí(yui): Split halfway. A sociocultural view from linguistic research
Elizabeth Valencia Perez • [email protected] Universidad del Valle, Colombia Iveth Rodríguez, [email protected] Universidad del Valle
The documentation/description of endangered languages poses questions related to implications on sociocultural practices that can be tracked down through language use. In this talk, I present the findings our research group has encountered during the documentation and description of Pisamira and Yurutí languages.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: sociolinguistics, historical linguistics
ASIA ROOM
(4.2.4) The diversity of endangered languages: Documenting three endangered languages in Trinidad and Tobago
Ben Braithwaite • [email protected] University of the West Indies Jo-Anne Ferreira • [email protected] University of the West Indies
This paper describes three endangered languages of Trinidad and Tobago, and discusses the ways in which differences and similarities between the situations of these languages affect approaches to documentation and revitalization. It considers the ways in which less discussed endangered languages such as creoles and signed languages require different methodologies.
Topic area: Topics in areal language documentation Keywords: Sign languages, creole languages
PACIFIC ROOM
(4.2.5) Heritage linguistics and language activism: A conversation with the Siraya
Chun (Jimmy) Huang • [email protected] University of Guam Edgar Macapili • [email protected] Tainan Pepo Siraya Culture Association Uma Talavan • [email protected] Chair of Tainan Pepo Siraya Culture Association
A linguist, a community leader, and a musician, all of whom are members of a Siraya community from Taiwan, share their experiences in revitalizing their heritage language while at the same time fighting for official recognition of their people. Heritage reclamation and activism are truly inseparable for the modern Siraya movement.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: heritage linguistics, language activism, revitalization, dormant language
SARIMANOK ROOM
(4.3) SESSION THREE • 10:20-10:50 am
(4.3.1) When repatriation is not "giving back": Evidence from a meeting with the Hua of Papua New Guinea
Joseph Brooks • [email protected] University of California, Santa Barbara
Recent discussion has advanced the argument that what constitutes ethical fieldwork might be more culturally relative than what was previously believed. Evidence from a meeting in a Hua village about the repatriation of legacy materials demonstrates the complexities inherent in a Melanesian moral interpretation of what “giving back” really means.
Topic area: Ethical issues Keywords: ethics, community expectations, repatriation
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(4.3.2) Transforming language revitalization through museum collections
Gwyneira Isaac • [email protected] Smithsonian Institution
In this paper I consider encounters between curators, community members and collections at the Smithsonian Institution that have resulted in the reconsideration of divisions between cultural, linguistic, artistic and anthropological knowledges. I argue for methods that enhance comprehension of how cultural and historical objects facilitate a deeper sense of time and continuity within the language and knowledge transmission process.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: museums, Hopi Pueblo, collections, history
KOI ROOM
(4.3.3) Characteristics of Cherokee immersion students’ learner language: Linguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives
Lizette Peter • [email protected] University of Kansas Tracy Hirata-Edds • [email protected] University of Kansas Durbin Feeling • [email protected] Cherokee Nation Ryan Mackey • [email protected] Cherokee Nation Wyman Kirk • [email protected] Northeastern State University
This presentation reports on a seven-year study of children learning Cherokee-as-a-second- language through immersion. Language assessment data, classroom observations, and conversations with immersion teachers and parents have revealed both patterned and idiosyncratic features of children’s developing language proficiency, which we discuss within the sociolinguistic context of Cherokee language shift and revitalization.
Topic area: Assessing success in documentation and revitalization strategies Keywords: Cherokee, language immersion, learner language, assessment
ASIA ROOM
(4.3.4) History and documentation of old Hawai‘i sign language and deaf lives in the past
Barbara Earth • [email protected] Gallaudet University Linda Lambrecht • [email protected] Kapi‘olani Community College James Woodward • [email protected] The Chinese University of Hong Kong
This is a sociolinguistic study of a dying sign language that was used by Deaf people in Hawai‘i until American Sign Language (ASL) suppressed it. We use life story interviews with old Deaf people to record natural usage of what remains of the old language.
Topic area: Sociolinguistics; life story interviews; sign language Keywords: sign language documentation, history of old sign language and its users
PACIFIC ROOM
(4.3.5) Yiri7 re skwestúl'ecwems-kucw: Secwepemc sense of place as language documentation and cultural revitalization
Marianne Ignace • [email protected] Simon Fraser University Ronald Ignace • [email protected] Simon Fraser University
We discuss Secwepemc sense of place as it comprises naming, landscape and wayfinding. We engage not only linguistic methods, but approaches from indigenous epistemology and ethnography, and reflect on the use of digital technologies and an integrated theory of language documentation and revitalization through the study of sense of place.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: indigenous toponymy, Secwepemc, indigenous epistemology
SARIMANOK ROOM
(4.4) SESSION FOUR • 11:00-11:30 am
(4.4.1) Developing consistency by consensus: Avoiding fiat in language revitalization
Lance Twitchell • [email protected] University of Alaska Southeast James Crippen • [email protected] University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Linguist James Crippen and Assistant Professor of Alaska Native Languages Lance Twitchell discuss the collaborative efforts currently occurring within Tlingit language revitalization, and how a small informal committee comes to a consensus and changes the way the language is documented, taught, and understood.
Topic area: Community experiences of revitalization Keywords: revitalization, community, consensus, terminology
KEONI AUDITORIUM
(4.4.2) Language documentation and natural history: A synergistic and interdisciplinary approach to ethnobiology NSF-sponsored talk
Jonathan Amith • [email protected] Gettysburg College
The nomenclature, classification, and use of biotaxa should be a significant component of language documentation. It involves complex lexical semantics and classificatory schemes, creates a thematic stimulus for corpus development, and can facilitate community collaboration to preserve endangered language and traditional ecological knowledge. This presentation proposes a synergistic partnership among biologists, linguists, indigenous communities, and ethnographers to explore these issues.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge
ASIA ROOM
(4.4.3) Interdisciplinary perspectives on sign language and deaf/sign community documentation and vitalization in Uganda and Cameroon
Sam Lutalo-Kiingi • [email protected], [email protected] Kyambogo University Goedele De Clerck • [email protected] Ghent University
Although deaf/sign communities in sub-Saharan Africa may benefit from transnational exposure, it has also been a source of language endangerment. The question of knowledge transfer and interdisciplinary anthropological/linguistic research is explored in south-south cooperation which aims to document and vitalize a rural sign language in the Extreme North of Cameroon.
Topic area: Sharing worlds of knowledge Keywords: sign languages, documentation, interdisciplinary research and community experiences of revitalization
PACIFIC ROOM